UAE And South Korea Join Hands To Enhance Water Resource Management

The UAE's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) and South Korea's Ministry of Environment held their 7th meeting for the Joint Operation Committee on Water Resource Cooperation.

During the meeting, the UAE shared plans for future projects, including smart water network management and managing surface water, flash floods, and dams.

Korean experts, on the other hand, presented technologies for floating solar power projects and early warning systems for urban flooding in Korea. The goal of the meeting was to share the latest technologies and experiences in water management and to encourage cooperation in related areas.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, and Seunghwan Lee, Director-General for the Water Use Policy Bureau at Korea's Ministry of Environment.

"Water is essential for life, ecosystems, and economies; it is among the first national priorities for many countries, especially because water plays a crucial role in food and energy security," Al Olama was quoted as saying by WAM.

"Despite being a desert nation with limited natural freshwater resources, the UAE has made significant progress in water management and sustainability. We developed the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 that aims to ensure sustainable and continuous access to safe and adequate quantities of water," he added.

Al Olama said that the cooperation between the UAE and South Korea in water management is a successful example of working together to meet global climate goals and future water and energy needs. He emphasized the importance of accelerating research and development of new technologies, sharing knowledge, building skills, and using best practices.

Seunghwan Lee said that the UAE and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2015 to strengthen collaboration in the water sector. Since then, the two countries have held six meetings to discuss and implement joint projects in water management.

This year, the focus is on having a productive discussion, with the hope that the 7th meeting will provide an opportunity to explore various topics. The goal is for the UAE to benefit from Korea's effective and applicable water management technologies.

Thanks to the UAE's golden visas and zero-income tax policies, the country will be attracting more than 6,700 foreign millionaires this year, including South Koreans, Indians, Russians, Brits, and Africans, according to an earlier report.